Musical staff



J. C'. CLIME. MUSICAL STAFF.

10.52534 y y .Patented Peb. 1s, 1866.

E E E Wznassa. d@ u y MMM c y UNITED STATES PATENT OEEI'CE.

JOHN C. GLIME, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MUSICAL STAFF.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 52,534. dated February 13, 1866.

llo all 'whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, J. C. CLiME, of Phila dclphin, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improved Musical Stati', and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, the diagrams in which represent my improved musical statt' arranged for pieces in dii'erent keys and the ordinary stai with the same pieces.

In teaching music much timel and patience are generally required to impress upon the minds of beginners, especially when young, the efect upon the notes of lthe signs #tand lz, styled Sharps and atsJ 9 9,2

With the ordinary stati the signs l fill which indicate three different notes, are frequently on the same line, Figure 5, while the same signs, when writtenas shown in Fig. 6, represent the same note. The pupil is thus apt to become confused and to mistake one note for another.

It has been my object to producea sta in which the true position of each note in the scale and in relation to adjacentnotes will be instantly observed, so that the pupil will notbe obliged to pause in order to calculate the effect ot' signs to which he can only become accustomed by constant and long continued practice.

My improvement also greatly aids the pupil in quickly acquiring a correct knowledge of musical notation, andin learning the manner of fingering the strings of a violin.

I use a stati' of five main lines, 1 2 3 4 5, Fig. 1, on which the signs indicating the notes E G B D F are placed, as in the usual sta-ft'. Between the main lines 1 2, 3 4, 45, however,

are two supplementary lines, w and between the main lines 2 3, are three supplementary lines, .r x x2, while in place of the ordinary clef-signs at the beginning of the statt' are a .number of parallel vertical lines, y y. At the point ot' junction of the statt-lines with the lines y are letters which indicate the names of the notes represented on the statt-lines, these letters being arranged. in series of four letters each, and through each series is drawn a diagonal line, w, the distance between any two adjacent lines of the stati' being intended to indicate the difference of a semitone between notes situated on these lines.

however, the pupil attempts to sing the piece;

as written on the ordinary stati', Fig. 4, he

iinds that there are two whole toiles between the notes G and B,which are on adjacent lines, and therefore is naturally led to suppose that there will be two whole tones between the notes B and D, the signs of which are also on adjacent lines, whereas when the piece is written on the staif, Fig. 2, it is instantly apparent that there are three semitones only between the notes B and D. The distinction between the notes D, D sharp, and D rtlat, Fig. 3, is clearly. shown, whereas when the same notes are indicated by the signs lzon the usual scale, Fig. 5, the beginneris apt to confound them with veach other, as before described. y By the use of a staff thus formed the pupilfquicklylearns the position ot the semitones on the stai' in the various keys, and is thus enabled, after a short course ot' study, 'to transpose a piece from one key to an,- other.. It, for instance, it is desired to trans'- pose a piece from the key of C, Fig. 1, to the key ofD, Fig. 8, the pupil selects a bar in the original piece in which the note occurs, and Vthen places this note in the same bar of the new key on the line D, rIhe next note in the original piece is on the line'B, one semitone below the note C. rIhis note is therefore transferred to the line Gg, which is half a tone below the line D in the new key. The next note C is placed on the same line as the iirst, and the note G, which in the original key is two whole tones below the note B, is placed two whole tones below the note C# in the new key-that is, on the line A-this operation being continued in a like manner until the whole piece is properly arranged in the new key. It will be apparent that bya short practice at transposing in this manner the pupil becomes thoroughly acquainted with the variations in the positions of the semitones on the stad' which occur in changing from one key to another.

When the pupil is learning to play on the violin his attention is directed to the diagonal lines uf, which represent the E, A, D, and G strings ot' the instrument and are marked as suoli, the letters through which each line elxtends indicating,- the notes which can be produced on that string of the instrument, the positions ot' the letters indicating,` the points where the' lingers are pressed on the string and the distances these points are apart.

ln playing a piece in the key ot' O, Fio. l, for instance, it is apparent to the pupil that the rst three notes, C 13 G, are produced on 'the A string, that he must press his finger on the string at a short distance from the end before drawing the bow to produce the note (l, and that the string must be pressed nearer the end to produce the note B, While it is also apparent that the distance between the points B and C is less than between B and A, inasmuch as the interval between the latter notes is greater than between the former.

rlhe higher or lower notes may be indicated above or below the staif in a similar manner to that in which they are arranged on the staff.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A musical stai consisting` ot' the lines l 2 l 5 ot the ordinary stati', combined with the. supl'ilementary lines substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The diagonal lines ymarranged in respect to the statt' and to the letters designating the notes on the stati' substantially as and for the purpose set fort-h.

In testimony whereof l have signed niy naine to this specitication in the presence ol.'

two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN U. CLIME. Witnesses:

CHARLES E. Fos'rniz, W. J. It. DELANY. 

